Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 8.76

[1] So there was a contention at this time, one side compelling the city to a democracy, the other, the army to an oligarchy.

[2] And presently there was an assembly of the soldiers called, wherein they deprived the former commanders, and such captains of galleys as they had in suspicion, of their charge, and chose others, both captains of galleys and commanders, in their places, of which Thrasybulus and Thrasyllus were two. And they stood up and encouraged one another, both otherwise and with this:

[3] that they had no cause to be dejected for the city's revolting from them; for they at Athens, being the lesser part, had forsaken them, who were not only the greater part, but also every way the better provided.

[4] For they, having the whole navy, could compel the rest of the cities subject unto them to pay in their money as well now as if they were to set out from Athens itself. And that they also had a city, namely Samos, no weak one, but even such a one as, when they were enemies, wanted little of taking the dominion of the sea from the Athenians. That the seat of the war was the same it was before; and that they should be better able to provide themselves of things necessary, having the navy, than they should be that were at home in the city. And that they at Athens were masters of the entrance of Peiraeus, both formerly by the favour of them at Samos;

[5] and that now also, unless they restore them the government, they shall again be brought to that pass that those at Samos shall be better able to bar them the use of the sea than they shall be to bar it them of Samos.

[6] That it was a trifle and worth nothing, which was conferred to the overcoming of the enemy by the city, and a small matter it would be to lose it, seeing they had neither any more silver to send them (for the soldiers shifted for themselves), nor yet good direction, which is the thing for which the city hath the command of the armies. Nay, that in this point they erred which were at Athens, in that they had abrogated the laws of their country; whereas they at Samos did both observe the same themselves and endeavour to constrain the other to do so likewise. So that such of them in the camp as should give good council were as good as they in the city.

[7] And that Alcibiades, if they would decree his security and his return, would with all his heart procure the king to be their confederate. And that which is the main thing, if they failed of all other helps, yet with so great a fleet they could not fail of many places to retire to, in which they might find both city and territory.

[1] The struggle now was between the army trying to force a democracy upon the city, and the Four Hundred an oligarchy upon the camp.

[2] Meanwhile the soldiers forthwith held an assembly, in which they deposed the former generals and any of the captains whom they suspected, and chose new captains and generals to replace them, besides Thrasybulus and Thrasyllus, whom they had already.

[3] They also stood up and encouraged one another, and among other things urged that they ought not to lose heart because the city had revolted from them, as the party seceding was smaller and in every way poorer in resources than themselves.

[4] They had the whole fleet with which to compel the other cities in their empire to give them money just as if they had their base in the capital, having a city in Samos which, so far from wanting strength, had when at war been within an ace of depriving the Athenians of the command of the sea, while as far as the enemy was concerned they had the same base of operations as before. Indeed, with the fleet in their hands, they were better able to provide themselves with supplies than the government at home.

[5] It was their advanced position at Samos which had throughout enabled the home authorities to command the entrance into Piraeus ; and if they refused to give them back the constitution, they would now find that the army was more in a position to exclude them from the sea than they were to exclude the army.

[6] Besides, the city was of little or no use towards enabling them to overcome the enemy; and they had lost nothing in losing those who had no longer either money to send them (the soldiers having to find this for themselves), or good counsel, which entitles cities to direct armies. On the contrary, even in this the home government had done wrong in abolishing the institutions of their ancestors, while the army maintained the said institutions, and would try to force the home government to do so likewise. So that even in point of good counsel the camp had as good counsellors as the city.

[7] Moreover, they had but to grant him security for his person and his recall, and Alcibiades would be only too glad to procure them the alliance of the king. And above all, if they failed altogether, with the navy which they possessed, they had numbers of places to retire to in which they would find cities and lands.

So widerstrebten sich also um diese Zeit beide Parteien
um die Wette, die Einen, um ihre Vaterstadt zur Demokratie zu
zwingen, die Andern, um das Heer zur Unterwerfung unter die
Oligarchie zu nöthigen. Die Soldaten hielten nun auch sofort eine
^Versammlung ab, in welcher sie die früheren Feldherrn und die ihnen
verdächtigen Schiffsführer absetzten und andere Feldherrn und Schiffs- ¹
führer an ihrer Statt wählten, und unter diesen auch ThrasybuloS
und Thrasyllos. Auch traten Einige unter ihnen auf und
ermuthigten das Heer in anderer Weise, und daß man den Muth nicht
verlieren dürfe, wenn auch die Stadt der Demokratie untreu geworden
sei. Die Abgefallenen seien ja nur die Minderzahl, sie selbst aber
bildeten die Mehrzahl und hätten zu Allem die größeren Hülfsmittel
in Händen. Denn da sie ja die ganze Flotte hätten, so könnten sie
die andern Städte eben so gut zum Entrichten der Steuern zwingen,
als wenn sie aus dem Hafen von Athen ausliefen; die Stadt
Samos, die keineswegs schwach sei, sondern damals im Kriege die
Athenische Seeherrschaft um ein Geringes an sich gerissen hätte, stehe
ihnen ja zur Verfügung, und ihrer Feinde hätten sie sich aus
derselben Stellung zu erwehren, wie auch früher. Auch seien sie im
Besitz der Flotte besser im Stande, sich alles Nöthige zu verschaffen,
als die zu Hause in der Stadt. Und nur, weil sie selbst durch ihre
Aufstellung bei Samos die in der Heimat deckten, hätten sich dieselben
bis jetzt die Einfahrt in den Piräens frei halten können ^), und
wenn sie ihnen jetzt nicht die demokratische Verfassung wieder-
geben wollten, so stehe die Sache so, daß sie selbst viel leichter jene von
der See abschneiden, als von ihnen abgeschnitten werden könnten.
Was die Stadt ihnen bis jetzt an Mitteln zur Ueberwindung der
Feinde geleistet habe, sei unbedeutend und nicht der Rede werth, und
sie hätten also Nichts verloren, da man ihnen weder Geld schicken
könne, welches sie vielmehr sich selbst verschaffen müßten, noch auch
einen guten Anschlag geben, wodurch sonst eine Stadt vor Armeen
im Vortheil sei. Aber auch in dieser Hinsicht hätten jene durch
Umsturz der väterlichen Gesetze jetzt gefehlt, sie selbst aber hielten diese
aufrecht und wollten nun versuchen, auch jene wieder zu denselben
zurückzuzwingen, so daß also aus ihrer Seite auch die besseren
Rathgeber seien. Auch werde ihnen Alkibiades, wenn sie ihm Sicherheit
und freie Rückkehr gestatteten, gern die Bundesgenossenschaft des
Königs verschaffen. Das Allerwichtigste aber, selbst wenn alles
Andere fehlschlüge, sei, daß sie, im Besitze einer so großen Flotte, ^{2 3}
viele Zufluchtsorte hätten, wo sie Städte und Land finden
würden.

LXXVI. La lutte s’établit alors entre l’armée, au nom de la démocratie, et la Ville ¹ , au nom de l'oligarchie, chacune voulant imposer à l’autre ses principes. Les soldats se réunirent aussitôt en assemblée; ils déposèrent leurs anciens généraux et ceux des triérarques qui leur étaient suspects et les remplacèrent par d’autres, au nombre desquels se trouvaient Thrasybule et Thrasylle. Chacun prit à l’envi la parole et on s’adressa mutuellement des encouragements de tout genre. « Il ne fallait pas s’inquiéter, disaient-ils, de ce que la ville avait fait scission avec eux; car c’était la ² minorité qui rompait avec une majorité mieux à portée d’ailleurs de toute espèce de ressources. Maîtres de toute la marine, ils forceraient les autres villes de leur domination à payer les tributs tout aussi bien que s’ils venaient d’Athènes les réclamer. Pour ville, ils avaient maintenant Samos, place d’une importance telle que, dans la guerre avec les Athéniens, elle avait été bien près de leur enlever l’empire de la mer; c’était de là qu’ils avaient précédemment soutenu la lutte contre l’ennemi et qu’ils continueraient à la soutenir. Avec les vaisseaux en leur possession, ils seraient bien mieux en mesure de se procurer des subsistances que ceux de la ville. C’était leur flotte qui, de Samos, comme d’un poste avancé, avait jusque-là tenu le Pirée librement ouvert à la navigation; et ils étaient si bien maîtres de la situation pour l’avenir, que, si on refusait de leur rendre leurs droits, ils seraient en mesure de fermer la mer à leurs adversaires, bien loin de s’en voir exclus par eux. Les secours qu’on pouvait attendre de la ville pour triompher des ennemis étaient trop peu de chose pour en tenir compte; on ne perdait donc rien de ce côté, puisque l’armée se procurait elle-même l’argent que la ville était hors d’état de lui envoyer, et qu’on ne pouvait pas même attendre de là un bon conseil, ce qui est la seule base de l’autorité de la ville sur l’armée. C’était, au contraire, la ville qui avait failli, en brisant les lois de la patrie, tandis qu’eux-mêmes les défendaient et voulaient la forcer à y revenir; l’armée n’avait donc rien à lui envier pour la sagesse des conseils. — Il suffirait d’accorder à Alcibiade son rappel et une entière sécurité, pour qu’il s’empressât de procurer l’alliance du Roi. Enfin, et c’était là l’es- sentiel, si tout venait à leur faire défaut, avec une flotte si nombreuse ils ne manqueraient pas de lieux de refuge, où ils trouveraient des villes et un territoire. »

Il y eut alors une scission bien prononcée, les uns voulant ramener la ville à la démocratie , les autres faire prévaloir l’oligarchie dans le camp. Aussitôt les soldats se formèrent en assemblée. Ils déposèrent les précédents généraux et tous ceux des triérarques qui leur étaient suspects ; à leur place ils en élurent d’autres, notamment Thrasybulos et Thrasylos. Les soldats se levaient pour s’adresser des exhortations mutuelles. Il ne fallait pas, disaient-ils, se laisser abattre parce que la ville avait fait divorce avec eux ; c’était la minorité qui s’était séparée d’une majorité bien plus puissante. Maîtres de toutes les forces navales, ils obligeraient les villes de leur dépendance à leur payer tribut, aussi bien qu’ils l’auraient fait en partant d’Athènes. Ils avaient dans Samos une cité considérable, qui, lors de sa guerre avec Athènes, avait failli lui enlever l’empire de la mer ¹ . Elle leur servirait, comme auparavant, de point d'appui contre l’ennemi. Grâce à leurs vaisseaux, ils étaient mieux en état que les citoyens de la ville de se procurer des subsistances. C’était la flotte qui, de Samos oomme d’un poste avancé, avait jusqu’alors assuré les communications du Pirée. Dorénavant, si la ville leur déniait leurs droits, il ne tiendrait qu’à eux de lui fermer la mer , ce qu’ils n’avaient pas à craindre d’elle. Les secours à attendre d’Athènes pour la continuation de la guerre étaient nuis ou à peu près. On n’avait pas perdu grand’chose, puisqu’elle n’avait à leur envoyer ni argent — les soldats s’en procuraient eux-mêmes — ni conseil utile, seuls points sur lesquels une ville soit supérieure à une armée. C’était à eux à se plaindre de la ville, qui abrogeait les lois de la patrie, tandis qu’eux-mêmes les maintenaient et s’efforçaient de les rétablir ; ainsi Varmée ne le cédait point en sagesse à la ville. Alcibiade, si l’on décrétait sa grâce et son rappel, s’empresserait de ménager l’alliance du roi. En définitive, quand tout viendrait à leur faire défaut, upe flotte aussi nombreuse que la leur saurait bien trouver des retraites, où les champs et les villes ne leur manqueraient pas.

[1] So during this period they had come to a state of bitter contention in Samos, the one party attempting to compel the city to accept a democracy, the other to impose an oligarchy upon the army.

[2] But the soldiers immediately held an assembly, in which they deposed their former generals and such of the trierarchs as they suspected, and chose others in their stead, among whom were Thrasybulus and Thrasyllus.

[3] Moreover, they rose in their places and made various recommendations for their own guidance, in particular urging that there was no need to be discouraged because the city ¹ had revolted from them; for it was the minority who had abandoned them, who were the majority, and also were in every way better provided with resources.

[4] For since they themselves possessed the entire fleet, they would compel the other cities under Athenian sway to make their regular contributions precisely as if their headquarters were at Athens. And they had, in Samos, a state that was not weak; on the contrary, it had come within a very little of wresting from Athens the control of the sea when it waged war with her; ² and as for the enemy, they would defend themselves against them from the same strong base as before. Furthermore, they were better able, since they possessed the fleet, to provide themselves with supplies than were the people of Athens. Indeed it was because they themselves had been stationed at Samos as an advanced guard that the Athenians at home had even before this commanded the entrance to the Peiraeus;

[5] and now, they added, the others would be brought to such a strait, in case they should not consent to give them back their constitution, that they themselves would actually be better able to exclude them from the sea than the others to exclude them.

[6] Trifling and indeed insignificant was the help which the city was able to give them in overcoming the enemy, and they had lost nothing, seeing that the people at home were able neither to send them money any longer— the soldiers now providing it for themselves—nor to give them good counsel, which is the object for which a state exercises control over armies in the field. Nay, even in this respect ³ the other party had erred in abolishing the laws of their fathers, whereas they themselves were trying to preserve them and would endeavour to compel the oligarchs also to do so. Thus the men in the army who could give good counsel were at least as good as those in the city.

[7] Alcibiades, furthermore, if they would merely secure for him immunity from punishment and restoration from exile, would gladly procure for them the alliance of the King. Finally, and most important of all, if they should wholly fail to attain their ends, so long as they possessed so large a fleet there were many places of refuge where they could find both cities and territory.

[1] Thus they were engaged in contention at this time, the one party wishing to force the city to a democracy, the other to an oligarchy.

[2] And the soldiers immediately held an assembly, in which they deposed their former generals, and any of the trierarchs whom they suspected, and chose others in their place, both trierarchs and generals; of whom Thrasybulus and Thrasylus were two. They also stood up and exhorted one another, both on other topics and on this;

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[1] Atque in contentionem descendebant hoc tempore , quum alteri urbem ad populi, alteri exercitum ad paucorum imperium vi reducere vellent.

[2] Confestim etiam milites concionem coegerunt, in qua superiores duces , et si quem trierarchorum suspectum habebant, magistratu amoverunt, et in eorum locum alios sufTeceniut et trierarchos et duces, quo in numero erant Thrasybulus et Thrasylus.

[3] Et surgentes cum aliis adhortationibus sc mutuo adhortabantur, tum etiam dicebant, animum nou esse abjiciendum, quod civitas a sc defecisset; pauciores enim numero a se, qui numero plures essent, et qui majore rerum omnium copia abundarent, secessionem fecisse.

[4] Se enim, qui totam classem haberent, ceteras ci vitales suo imperio subjectas adacturos ad pendendas pecunias, aqne ac si illinc proficiscerentur. Nam et urbem sibi adesse Samum, baud invalidam, sed quae minimum abfuerit , quin Athenienses suo maritimo imperio spoliaret, quum bellum gereret, et hostium impetum se ex eodem, quo et ante, loco propulsare. Quinetiam se, quod penes se classem haberent, majorem commeatus comparandi facultatem habere quam illos, qui Athenis essent.

[5] Praeterea sc ipsos per se, e longinquo apud Samum obsideotes, et jam antea introitum in Piraeeum in sua potestate habuisse, et nunc [etiam magis habituros, quum omnia sibi supersint, quibus] eo rem adducere possint, si illi rempublicam sibi restituere non vellent, ut ipsi facilius illos maris usu prohiberent, quam ab illis prohiberentur.

[6] Atque tenue et nullius pretii esse adjumentum, quod ad superandos hostes civitas sibi praebuisset, seque ideo nihil amisisse, quandoquidem illi jam neque pecuniam mittere possent, quam potius milites sibi ipsi compararent, neque salubre consilium, cujus causa civitas imperium in exercitus obtineret; sed etiam hac in re illos quidem peccasse, quod patrias leges sustulissent, se vero eas servare, et praeterea se operam daturos, ut illos etiam ad id cogerent; quare ne hos quidem, qui aliquod salubre consilium dare possent, apud se illis inferiores esse.

[7] Alcibiadem quoque, si impunitatem ac restitutionem ei decrevissent, regis societatem sibi lubenter conciliaturum. Quod autem maximum esset, si omnibus rebus frustrarentur, patere sibi, tantam classem habentibus, multas vias, quibus et urbes et agrum invenirent.

In questo tempo levossi gran contrasto, perchè l'esercito di Samo, voleva costringere Atene al governo popolare, ed Atene, l’esercito al reggimento dei pochi. Ed i soldati a Samo fecero tosto una dieta ove deposero dal comando i generali di prima e quei trierarchi de’quali sospettavano, e sostituirono altri generali ed altri trierarchi , c tra questi Trasibulo e Trasi Ilo. Elevandosi a parlare si esortavano l’un l’altro, e dicevano non doversi perder di coraggio che la città si fosse divisa da loro, perchè questa divisione era stata fatta da pochi a petto a loro che erano in più quantità c meglio forniti di tutto. Infatti avendo in mano la flotta astringeranno le altre città sulle quali comanda Atene a somministrar denaro, non altrimenti che se si fossero mossi da Atene stessa ; perchè stando per loro Samo, città non debole e che quando era in guerra con Atene poco mancò che non le togliesse l’impero del mare, di lì sarebbero in grado di respingere i nemici eomc per l’avanti. Poter loro , come padroni delle navi, procacciarsi le vettovaglie meglio di quei d’Atene ; aver questi, sì bene per paura di loro accampati a Samo, occupato di prima l’ingresso del Pireo, ma ora ove non vogliano rimettere in piedi il governo antecedente saranno ridotti a tale, che l'armata di Samo provvista di forze maggiori li escluderà dal mare, invece che essi escludano lei ; lieve essere e di niun conto l’aiuto che Atene porgeva loro per superare i nemici; non aver perduto nulla nel trovarsi abbandonali dagli Ateniesi che non aveano più denaro da mandare all’esercito (mentre i soldati se lo procacciavano da sè) nè verun consiglio salutevole donde procede l'autorità delle repubbliche sugli eserciti ; aver peccato quei d’Atene nel raso presente abrogando le patrie leggi, ed essi volerle conservare e tentare di costringere anche loro \ talché quelli che ancor rimanessero colla mente sana, non eran per esser tenuti appresso i soldati di Samo cittadini meno pregiovoli. Aggiungevano per ultimo che Alcibiade, ove ottenesse sicurezza e ritorno in patria , di buon grado prcaccierebbe loro l’alleanza del re ; e , quel che più rilevava , se ogni cosa andasse fallita, essi padroni di (lotta sì rispettabile avrebbero molti luoghi ove ritirarsi, ne’quali troverebbero città e terreno.